Some of the blocked coolant passages are apparently by design.
Here are a couple of IDI-VW diesel head gaskets:
The top one is a 1.9lTD (AAZ) multi-layer-steel (MLS) head gasket, made by Elring. Good stuff, if you've got a hydraulic-lifter TD (or willing to adapt it to a solid lifter head like me
The bottom is some sort of fiberous gasket. I'm pretty sure it's for a 1.6lTD w/solid lifter head.
The earlier VW diesel head gasket (1.5l diesel) had much more "open" coolant passages, IIRC. There must have been some reason the VW engineers redesigned the coolant passages when they changed the design to the 1.6l motor, I would guess it would have to do with making the relative temperature of the head more even. Notice the extra little coolant passages in between the cylinders on the 1.9l that are not present on the 1.6l or earlier blocks.